Patent GB-895137-A (GB)
Title: Memory system
IPC: G11C15/02
Filed: 1960-11-02
Abstract: 895,137. Transfluxor circuits. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Nov. 2, 1960 [Nov. 27, 1959], No. 37728/60. Class 40 (9). [Also in Group XIX] A binary digit is stored in two transfluxors 10, 11, Fig. 1, by setting transfluxor 10 to the blocked state and transfluxor 11 to the unblocked state for a binary one and vice versa for a binary zero, and a comparison circuit is provided whereby the values of the stored digit and a reference digit are compared and an output is produced if the two values fail to agree. When a transfluxor is blocked, the fluxes around apertures 12 and 13 are both in the same direction as denoted by arrows 1, 2 and 3 on transfluxor 11, while the fluxes are in opposite directions as shown by the corresponding arrows on transfluxor 10 when a transfluxor is unblocked. Initially the two transfluxors are brought to the binary zero state with transfluxor 10 unblocked and transfluxor 11 blocked, as shown, by a negative erase pulse in conductor 20 from an erase amplifier 22. The digit to be stored is registered in a toggle FF and a signal is applied to the transfluxors by way of a binary one or binary zero output lead 40, 42. To write a binary one, write amplifiers 28, 51 are energized when a control pulse is applied to amplifier terminal 30 and to a terminal 36 of an AND gate 34. Positive half-select pulses are consequently applied to conductors 20 and 26 which together reverse the fluxes about apertures 12 to bring transfluxors 10 and 11 to the blocked and unblocked states respectively. For comparison purposes the reference binary digit is registered in toggle FF so that an appropriate output appears on conductor 40 or 42. When a comparison control pulse is applied to terminals 46 and 48 of AND gates 50 and 52, either a read " 1 " amplifier 54 or a read " 0 " amplifier 62 is energized depending on the toggle output. A positive and a negative pulse is passed by the energized amplifier to a conductor 58 or 65, and an interrogating flux is thereby applied first in one sense and then in the opposite restoring sense about the smaller aperture 13 of the associated transfluxor. If this transfluxor is blocked, no change of magnetisation about its apertures occurs. If, however, the transfluxor is unblocked, the interrogating flux about its aperture 13 will induce output pulses in conductor 60 to indicate lack of agreement between the transfluxor and toggle FF registrations. This output will reverse the state of a toggle 76 so that a positive potential is removed from a lead 80. The transfluxors can be read out non-destructively only if the comparison is favourable, in which case the lead 80 will have a positive potential from the toggle. For this operation a read out control pulse is applied to operate relays 64 and 72 and to open an AND gate 82. A read-out amplifier 70 then becomes energized and applies a positive and a negative pulse to conductor 60. If a binary one is stored, transfluxor 10 is in the unblocked state and flux reversals will occur about its aperture 13. Consequently, an output will be induced in conductor 65 which will pass to terminal 90. If, however, a binary zero is stored, only transfluxor 10 will be unblocked and a non-effective output induced in conductor 58. This could be detected by a terminal similar to terminal 90 if a further relay 64 is provided. A number of the two-transfluxor devices, each represented by a block MM, may be arranged to form a matrix store as shown in part in Figs. 2a and 2c, the intermediate Fig. 2b being omitted. Operation is effected as previously described, each column of cores being initially set to the binary zero state by an erase pulse generator 102 and erase amplifiers 22-1 to 22-3. A binary word is registered in toggles FFa to FFd and is written into a selected column by a write pulse generator 100 selectively energizing a column write amplifier 28-1 to 28-3 at the same time as it energizes row write amplifiers 51a to 51d by opening AND gates 34a to 34d. The binary words stored may be compared simultaneously with a reference word registered in the toggles FF by energizing AND gates 50a to 50d and 52a to 52d from a read pulse generator 104a. Column toggles 76-1 to 76-3 will respond as a result to the outputs in their respective columns, and only that toggle associated with a column which has a stored word in agreement with the registered reference word will remain in its initial state. Consequently only this column will be non-destructively read when the AND gates 82-1 to 82-3 are energized from a read-out pulse generator 108, and relays 64a to 64d and 72-1 to 72-3 are operated by read-out pulse generator 106. For further comparison operations to take place the column toggles are restored by a reset pulse generator 110.